5 tons of Nutella stolen in Germany heist

Thieves make off with $20,710 worth of the sweet hazelnut spread.

Pity the food thief. While the thefts of famous works of art and giant diamonds inspire Hollywood movies starring matinee idols in smart suits, the lowly food heist is generally relegated to a police report and little more.

But some food heists make the headlines. There was the daring maple syrup theft in Quebec last year, as well as a mysterious walnut haul in California. The latest news in food thievery comes from the German town of Bad Hersfeld, where over the weekend robbers made off with 5 metric tons of Nutella, the Italian chocolate-hazelnut spread made by Italian company, Ferrero.

With an estimated street value of $20,710, the booty was lifted from a parked trailer. Police say they don’t know how many people were involved in the theft.

Aside from thinking about whether George Clooney could pull this story off, we wonder if the thieves would be shocked to find out that Nutella “was the next best thing to a candy bar.” Such was the case of the California mom who filed a lawsuit against Ferrero last year for suggesting that the sugary fat-laden treat could be included in a healthy breakfast. The suit was settled for $3.05 million, a pretty sweet haul of its own.